Justice News

Former St. Lucie County School Teacher Charged with Luring a Student Over the Internet

A Former St. Lucie County school teacher was arrested and charged with luring a student over the internet.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Mark Selby, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, and John A. Bolduc, Chief, Port St. Lucie Police Department, made the announcement.

Daniel Tyler Morgan, 30, of Jupiter, is charged by grand jury indictment with using the internet to persuade, induce, or entice a child to engage in prohibited sexual activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b). If convicted, Morgan faces a statutory minimum 10-year sentence and a maximum of life in prison.

According to the court record, on May 13, 2016, a concerned citizen reported to St. Lucie County School District authorities that Morgan, a history teacher at St. Lucie West Centennial High School, had been sending inappropriate messages over the internet to a minor student at the school. The subsequent law enforcement investigation revealed that Morgan had been communicating with the student for several months using a social media application. Many of the communications were sexual in nature. Morgan is no longer employed as a teacher with the school district.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI and the Port St. Lucie Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Funk and Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Butler.

An indictment is only an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.